Chapter 4

Gavin

Cold sweat bathed me as I jolted out of the dream. Sickness roiled in my gut. Recently, I'd had nightmares about my wolf chasing those two hikers. But I thought that would have been a better dream than what I'd just experienced.

My forehead and palms were clammy, and my heart was still thrashing against my ribcage in shock at what I'd witnessed.

What I'd witnessed in my … Moondream. Bile climbed up the back of my throat as I pictured the bright white light pouring down on the dark expanse of water.

Confusion beat through me. Hadn't I just been praying to Vana earlier today to reveal my fated mate?

I gritted my jaw, grinding my teeth.

Not like this.

This wasn't right. It couldn't be.

I recalled staring down into the pool and feeling as if I'd plunged into it as icy shock sluiced through my body. I locked eyes with the intrusive green gaze of the woman in the pool. Her mousy brown hair hung messily about her shoulders, most of it having escaped the braid it was in. Her slight figure was lost in the same blue sweatshirt she'd worn earlier today. Then, she laid her hand on my brown-coated wolf's shoulder in an intimate clasp.

As rage fired through my body, tightening my muscles, I knew that what I'd seen tonight was Vana's Moondream. The full moon and the pool had reflected my deepest truths back to me.

And yet, both my body and mind couldn't reconcile the revelation. Everything within me squirmed against it. I gritted my jaw, sweeping my hands through my hair, making it stand on end. But I didn't care. The only thing that mattered was proving this wasn't true.

Inspiration struck. If Billie was in her bed and unaffected by such a dream, it couldn't be true. Fated mates always had the truth revealed in the moon pool by the goddess at the same time.

Easy.

With the simple solution, I hurried out of bed, throwing on my clothes from earlier. I opted to take my truck to Hexen Manor. With how riled I was, it probably wasn't the wisest move to unleash my wolf right now. Vana knows what he might do. No, it was much better to get some closure from going to the source of the issue. I tried to imagine a sleep-befuddled Billie looking at me in utter confusion, after which this agitation pounding through me would be expelled. But I kept picturing her piercing green eyes and the way they'd held me as if they'd seen right to my very soul.

Seeking to drown out the memory of the dream, I concentrated on keeping my truck on the rough dirt path as I made my way out of Grandbay territory and into Dalesbloom. The hint of sunrise was on the horizon, and the pale gray light lay against the trees and grass, its softness easing my tension a little.

But as I swung into the driveway of Hexen Manor, dread settled like a lead weight in my stomach. The grand estate loomed before me, its imposing facade casting shadows over the lawn. I parked my truck out front, and then I got out into the cool morning.

I wandered around the back of the house, knowing David preferred the pack to use the back entrance. I fisted my hands and then thumped the door. The manor was huge and lofty, and I knew I had to make a racket for anyone to hear me.

A half-awake David opened the door, with Catrina trailing not far behind him.

As I caught sight of my girlfriend, I realized I hadn't thought this far ahead.

Catrina's bright blue eyes widened. "Babe, what's wrong?"

I cursed myself silently for not even considering that Catrina would be here. For some reason, the only thing that seemed to matter was the need to see Billie. Now, the same urgency swallowed me again, and I pushed past the dread.

I blurted out. "Nothing. Where's Billie?"

Consequences be damned.

David's blue eyes grew wary. "What's this about?"

"What's she done?" Catrina asked, her look becoming steelier as she tightened the belt of her silk dressing gown.

I gritted my jaw, unsure what to say for a moment, but my need to see Billie forced the words out of my mouth. "Please, can you get Billie?"

David and Catrina exchanged a worried glance. My girlfriend was looking at me as if I'd lost my mind.

I hope I have.

But I remained silent, the same solemn expression hardening my features.

Finally, Catrina held up her hands. "Fine," she griped. "I'll get her."

As she left, relief finally settled over me. In a moment, this would all be shown to be a ridiculous mistake. I ran my hands through my hair. It was probably just a silly dream that my stressed-out mind had conjured up. In a moment, Billie was going to walk downstairs with Catrina and be as confused by my appearance here as the others were.

I noticed that David's regard hadn't turned away from me. I knew he'd cottoned onto my agitation as I rocked on the balls of my feet. I fisted my hands again. I couldn't blame him for not inviting me in, given my pumped-up state. We werewolves were known for our short temper, and if something kicked off, he probably thought it best it stayed outside.

Footfalls sounded…

They seemed to harmonize with the knock of my heart as a hundred and one questions flooded my head. "Would Billie have had the same dream? Would seeing her feel different?" As the jumbled questions crowded my head, I knew that in a moment, the darkness and doubt I was experiencing would be done away.

But nothing prepared me for Catrina's white face. Her pallor was extreme against her black locks. "She's not in bed. Neither is Cole."

My heart pounded as urgency gripped me. More confusing thoughts drowned out all reason.

I have to find her. I have to make sure she's safe.

Without another word, I turned away from Hexen Manor, ready to dash into the surrounding forests.

But a black-haired, pale-faced guy walked toward me: Colt.Behind him,Billie was suddenly there, too. Her shoulders rounded forward, and her head hung down a little, making her look even mousier. She hadn't noticed me yet.

Colt was beside Billie—so close his arm touched hers. A protective stance that I noticed instantly.

"Gavin?" Colt greeted me with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

I felt the prickle of the others' attention behind me as they, too, waited to hear what I was doing here.

But I only had eyes for Billie. Her eyes widened, her face flushing with heat as she looked at me. She seemed so small and fragile. But as her bright green eyes pierced me, just as they had this morning and … in the moon pool, I realized they were a vibrant shade of green. The color of new spring growth. I saw, too, the elegant column of her neck and her slenderness that held the delicacy of a new bud.

Ignoring the warmth spreading through me as I looked at her, I locked eyes with her. "Billie." My voice shook. "I … I have to know. Did you see it, too?" I finally managed to choke out the words, my voice strained.

The unspoken words seemed to lie between us, and time stood still. My heart hammered against my ribcage as if it wanted to break through.

Billie's eyes widened. A flicker of recognition flashed across her delicate features, and my hope plummeted. "Yes," she said slowly. "Vana showed me you, too."

Silence hung heavy behind me, the tension palpable as she alluded to the dream that had brought me to the Hexen's door tonight. The Moondream and its implications were deeply entrenched in our werewolf culture. I sensed both David and Catrina realized what had happened.

Colt's smile had fizzled out, and the lines of his shoulders displayed the tension I felt. Everyone suddenly understood that Billie and I were fated mates. My mind reeled with anger. Colt's tall, muscular frame beside Billie complimented her delicate build. And I wondered what they'd been doing outside together.

Even as jealousy reared its ugly head, disbelief whirled through me.

You're not jealous.

Of course, I wasn't jealous. Colt was shorter and scrawnier than I. He wasn't half the wolf I was. I could take him. As for whatever he and Billie had been up to together, I couldn't give a damn.

Fury pounded through me as I gritted my jaw. I took a step back, away from Billie, shaking my head. "The dream's wrong."

This couldn't be. This was all wrong. Look at her; my outraged voice roared in my head. My disdainful stare raked over the giant hoodie that swallowed her frail form.

She froze, the look of hurt rippling across her face, telling me she knew that I was rejecting her. The terror running through her body reminded me of an elk seized by fear when it was surrounded by the pack. How could such a girl as this be my mate?

Vana made a mistake.

I had to be crystal clear about this, and I let my voice fall with precision. "I don't want you," I said, infusing my words with as much disdain as I could.

I caught Colt's hand going to Billie's shoulder. Something that shouldn't bother me.

It doesn't.

I gritted my jaw, clenching my fists as I strode away, giving Colt and Billie a wide berth as if even being too close to them was noxious. Billie didn't even try to stop me, which was something that I latched onto again as more fodder to prove that she wasn't … my mate.

Instead, it was Catrina's voice that called after me. "Gavin. Wait. We need to talk about this."

Now, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't want to talk to anyone about this. Not Catrina, not a Hexen, and most especially, not Billie. Defiance swarmed through me. I needed to put as much distance between myself and this place as possible. As I strode away from Hexen Manor, I bypassed my truck. I'd send one of my pack to get it for me tomorrow. The desire to put as much space between me and the family behind me consumed me.

I shed my clothes and human form, giving myself over to the wildness of my beast. My taut muscles reveled as my four paws pounded the earth. I tore down the dirt path and into the meadow. As the wind ripped through my fur, I raced into the forest. My heart pounded with a mixture of rage and confusion, relishing every paw beat that carried me farther away from Billie.